


tangled red thread of fate

by yuwins



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Red String of Fate, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Strangers to Lovers, a oneshot of sorts, character death (not nomin tho dw), emo jaemin, look at me using actual tags for once lol, nomin, past renmin, this took me all day i have no idea why, we love to see it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:48:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22368958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuwins/pseuds/yuwins
Summary: Where soulmates are bound by a thin red string, Jaemin and Jeno find each other.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno & Na Jaemin
Kudos: 19





	tangled red thread of fate

**Author's Note:**

> There’s a Japanese legend called the red thread of fate. This legend says that the Chinese gods tie the two ends of a red string to the fingers of two people destined to meet. No matter how far the pair get from each other, this thread is indestructible. You could say these people are soulmates if you believe in that kind of stuff. 

_I guess you could say we were caught in traffic_

_But we were on foot, fingers linked by the unbreakable thread stretching between us_

_With nowhere else to go._

* * *

The faint pitter-patter of the rain against Jaemin’s umbrella kept him sane at that moment. The rage that boiled down to the very hollows of his bones gradually made it through the surface, evaporating into thin air. Na Jaemin, once the top of his class, was no longer the best of the best. He was no longer the class representative, the president of the honor society, or the most popular boy in his school. You could pull him to the side and ask him, “Jaemin, what’s going on?” 

But he’ll look right into your eyes, lids heavy, his dull pupils seeping through the thick lashes that coated his threatening waterline and tell you, “I feel better than ever.” 

And maybe he did feel better than ever. Maybe this is the real Na Jaemin. The boy with the sad eyes and hoarse voice. The boy with the beautiful set of teeth but an insincere smile. 

Every time he closed his eyes, there he was. His movements were graceful and delicate as he extended his arm out to catch him. Huang Renjun is the love of his life. _Was_ the love of his life.  
There came a point in this dream where Renjun would stop dancing. He’d stand completely still, his eyes wide as time froze. The crispness of the cool air blew right past Renjun. And then he was gone. 

Jaemin would open his eyes after this, but he stopped crying 2 years ago. It was the same nightmare over and over and over again. It destroyed every loving fiber in his body, stripping away every sense of care he ever knew. 

It led to him walking down the same path home every day, the rain rushing into his shoes, making the ugly _squish_ sound with every step. It was today that his feet were miraculously dry, but it didn’t happen magically. Unbeknownst to him, today he served a purpose. It started when the bell rang and as usual, Jaemin was the last to walk out of the school at dusk. 

_“Jaemin!” Jisung, a classmate of his went running towards him before he could get away._

__

__

_Jaemin turned to face him but was struck down when the lanky boy miscalculated the distance between them and the velocity he sprinted at._

_“Oh, Jaemin,” the boy got up quickly and lent his arm out to help Jaemin up, but he didn’t take it._

_“I’m sorry,” Jisung mumbled, embarrassed for what occurred._

_Jaemin cleared his voice and gave Jisung the subtlest of smiles before beginning to walk to the exit._

_“Wait,” Jisung sighed, “Jaemin.”_

_Jaemin stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn around to face Jisung._

_“Take this,” Jisung held out an umbrella._

_Jaemin turned and took it, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. When his eyes trailed beyond Jisung’s, he took notice in his flushed cheeks and ears. His eyebrows softened again before he muttered a “thank you,” and walked out of the school._

_Who knew Jisung’s innocent little crush could be the one domino that sent Jaemin’s life on a ripple of black and white waves?_

The city lights were blurred by the rainfall and the smell of the earth was extra rich that day. 

The wind picked up suddenly, knocking the umbrella out of Jaemin’s grip. He planned on returning it to his younger admirer the next day, so he ran after it. 

Jaemin hadn’t run like that since the day Renjun died. 

He felt the blood rush to his fingertips when he heard a loud yelp. His umbrella attacked another person walking on the street. This meant some sort of confrontation was about to happen, and Jaemin was certainly not in the mood to deal with a person. 

Jaemin slowed down as he approached the boy with Jisung’s umbrella in his hand. Both of them now soaked from the cold rain. 

“Sorry about that,” Jaemin scratched the back of his neck as he avoided eye contact with the stranger. 

“You should be,” the boy’s voice was stern, “your umbrella could have killed me.” 

It was when Jaemin looked up at the boy that he realized it was Lee Jeno. 

Jeno went to a different school but he was extremely well-known and respected in the district for having the highest test scores.

“Ah-“ Jaemin paused awkwardly. “Can I have that back?” He pointed at the umbrella, his hand shaking from the cold. 

“Right,” Jeno handed him the umbrella but it wouldn’t have done much anyway because the rain had stopped by that point. 

That night, Jaemin slept soundly. Renjun didn’t appear and he didn’t wake up in sweats. He could have sworn he was transported into a new dimension because nothing was making sense to him. 

When we woke up, he stayed in bed thinking. Granted, he had all the time in the world because it was Saturday, yet being in his room felt _timeless_. He would often get lost in his thoughts, his memories having lives of their own through which he would live vicariously through.

Though he was awake, he kept his eyes closed, fluttering them while he watched the movies his brain played for him. Images of clammy hands, flowers, laughter, kisses, _love_. They came flashing at him, tearing away at his heart like a pickaxe slowly chipping a log of wood. Eventually, there would be nothing left to chop, so what would become of Jaemin? He may have escaped Renjun for the night, but he still haunts mercilessly through the day. Jaemin got too caught up in his own regrets, making him leave everything he cared about behind.  
_“It’s not worth it without you,”_ he whispered to himself, clenching his eyes shut harder. 

And then the movies would stop. 

Jaemin slowly opened his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the natural light. 

He had a plan for the day. He wanted to give Jisung back his umbrella since it would be rainy for the whole week. Jaemin, typical Jaemin, only put on a hoodie and slippers before leaving his house. 

As he walked down the street towards the school’s sports field where Jisung practiced with his soccer team, he observed the little umbrella. It was white and covered in large green dots. His fingers traced over the messily written “JISUNG” on it. It was an unusual act of kindness that he never saw coming, however, it was endearing regardless. 

Jaemin’s stroll was abruptly cut when he bumped into someone. Lee Jeno. His body was hard and stiff against Jaemin’s softer physique, causing him to stumble back. 

“I’m starting to think you like me now,” Jeno chuckled, his eyes forming into crescent slips. 

Jaemin didn’t respond, unsure of what he would even say.  
“Ah, this thing again,” Jeno grabbed the umbrella from Jaemin’s hold, inspecting it with curious eyes. “Jisung? That’s funny…you don’t strike me as a Jisung,” he teased, a glimmer in his eyes.

Jaemin snatched the umbrella back from him, his teeth gritted, “I’m returning it to a friend.” 

Jeno sucked on his teeth before releasing an awkward sigh, “I’ll come with you, yeah?” 

Jaemin began to walk again, Jeno following after him. 

“That’s not necessary, Jeno.”

“Wow! My _name?"_ Jeno was clearly amused by Jaemin’s irritation. 

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know that you aren’t some sort of local celebrity,” Jaemin scoffed. He found Jeno to be pretentious now. 

“Of course,” Jeno mumbled, “I don’t want to think of myself like that.” 

Jeno’s goofy demeanor faded with the mention of his popularity. He was used to being treated like that _one_ guy, but it didn’t mean he was okay with it. His achievements didn’t come about through natural skills. It took screaming, divorce, heartbreak, _loneliness_. To Jeno, his “intelligence” was a constant reminder of his sadness. 

“Look I-“ Jeno choked on his words, “I’m not a bad person, okay? You don’t need to be so hostile with people.” 

He then went off walking in the opposite direction. 

Jaemin turned to watch him leave but his eyes widened at what he saw. 

A long thread coming from Jeno 10 feet away leading back to him.

He looked at his hand in disbelief. 

A little red string was tied to his finger, vibrating as Jeno got further and further away.

Once Jeno was out of sight, the string disappeared but Jaemin could feel the pull of Jeno’s weight on his arm, still. 

It began to rain again but Jaemin didn’t budge from where he was planted on the ground. He felt something right then and there. Something he hadn’t felt in 2 years. 

It was overwhelming yet numbing at the same time. Emotions rushed through his body but he couldn’t react to them. He let the rain drench him as he stared wide-eyed in the direction Jeno left him. 

How could he do nothing when he felt _everything_ at that moment? 

He was shaken out of his trance when a bike sped past him, nearly ripping off his exposed toes.  
He began to walk towards Jeno’s direction, the wind blowing and spitting at his face edging him to pick up his pace. His walk soon turned into a jog, which then turned into him running.

Funny how he seemed to run towards Jeno, just like the first time. 

He panted as his legs seemed to float on thin air, the wind pulling his hair back and attacking his face, leaving pink pools over his nose and cheeks. 

He stopped running when he saw Jeno waiting at the crosswalk.

“Jeno.” 

He turned to look at Jaemin. 

“I’m a dick.” 

Jeno chortled, walking to Jaemin, closing the large gap between them. 

“You are, Na Jaemin.” 

“My na-“

“I’m not the only famous guy around here it seems.” 

Jaemin looked down at his feet, “you know. About Renjun.” 

Jeno placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Doesn’t change anything, though.” 

The sudden contact made Jaemin look up at Jeno, shocked. 

The string appeared again, a tangled mess in the palm of Jeno’s hand. 

The realization must have hit both of them at the same time because they immediately looked at each other face-to-face. The look in Jeno’s eyes made Jaemin’s stomach turn. 

That’s when Jaemin knew it was time. 

Their hearts were still young, there were many lessons to be learned, and the stickiness of their pasts was never going away. But Jaemin knew it was time to let go, at last.

He was ready to confront Renjun. To tell him, _“I’m leaving now. Have a safe trip.”_

And ready to face his destiny. To face Jeno.

**Author's Note:**

> hiiii I haven't written any nomin uhhhh they're my favorite pairing so here! finally! took my sweet time on this one but im still not sure if it turned out okay?? you know how i can tell?>>>>
> 
> BY YOU LEAVING KUDOS. 
> 
> hehehe anyways. Follow my twitter! 
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/hugchenIe)  
> [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/hugchenle)


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